The 2018 Pulitzer Prize winners have been announced, and for the first time ever a musical work outside of the jazz and classical genres has won. Hip-hop. And who else to usher in such history but Kendrick Lamar?
I am so happy that an album with tracks that are played for hype at college basketball games and blasted out the windows of college students’ sedans has won the Pulitzer Prize for music. This is how you do “accessible” art right. While DAMN., Kendrick Lamar’s 2017 release, won for music, I’m going to compare him to other popular contemporary poets (I cannot give an opinion on the Pulitzer Prize poetry winner or finalists, because I have not read their work). This is because Lamar is not only recognized as one of the greatest composers of our time, but also as a master lyricist.
With the rise of “Instagram poetry,” popularized by Rupi Kaur, the term “accessible” has been thrown around in relation to art. The style of these poets is bleak, sanitized, holding about the same amount of emotion and creativity as a throw pillow bought from Walmart. In other words, while this poetry is easy to understand, it also treats the audience as though the audience does not deserve to reach conclusions by themselves. Kendrick Lamar is by far a better poet and wordsmith than Kaur; in fact, he is one of best lyricists of our time. Kendrick Lamar doesn’t underestimate his audience. He lets his audience feel rather than telling them how to feel. The points of his songs are made powerful because of that understanding. Which is also why everyone, from high school athletes to a distinguished board of scholars, can agree that DAMN. is a damn good album.
To actually experience poetry, don’t read Milk and Honey. Instead, listen to DAMN.
Kayla Wiltfong Writes 